The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
With airborne mobile platforms such as commercial and military aircraft, tail surfaces are sized to maintain control of the aircraft throughout the flight envelope.
Presently, there is an interest in reducing the “loss of control” speed of an aircraft that is caused by separation of flow from the vertical tail. Present day solutions involve simply constructing a larger vertical tail or increasing the size of a rudder used with the tail. Simply increasing the overall size of the vertical tail adds weight and drag. Increasing the size of the rudder also adds weight and drag, and can necessitate the use of larger and heavier control actuators.
On aircraft wings, moveable leading edge devices are sometimes used to delay flow separation. Conventional leading edge devices, designed to operate on wings, are intended to delay flow separation only at positive angles of attack. Because a tail must operate at positive or negative sideslip angles (aircraft nose left or right), such (asymmetric) leading edge devices would not be suitable for use on a vertical tail.